The Final Journal
by Adrianna Sharp
Summary: When Dipper hands the final journal to Stan, Stan is skeptical. But what thoughts run through the straight face of Stan Pines when he realizes that Dipper had the missing journal all this time? Some spoilers for NWHS.


Hello all of my lovely fellow Fallers. So here's my second Gravity Falls story. I just find so much of what goes on in Stan's head so intriguing and can't help but write about it. So this takes place at the end of season one, when our favourite ridiculous family gets the shack back.

Hope you all enjoy. Reviews are love!

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It had been a hell of a week but finally, the shack was coming back together. Customers were flocking to the attraction in hopes of getting a look at Mr. Mystery, the hero of Gravity Falls. Stan had kept the shop open late for the past week to accommodate all the customers but the initial excitement was starting to wind down. This finally gave Stan and the twins some time to reorganize their rooms, instead of focusing all their time on rebuilding the gift shop and cheesy attractions.

After the last customers of the day went home, Stan decided to poke his head into the attic to check on the twins. They were both there, making the attic look just as weird and tacky as the shop, but in an endearing way.

"Hey Grunkle Stan," Mabel said.

"Uh…you kiddos settling back in okay?"

"Yup. All the favourite moldy spots on the ceiling are still there. Even you…Darryl," Mabel smiled at the ceiling.

The room took on a more serious tone, however, when Dipper took over. "Hey, Grunkle Stan?" he began. "Me and Mabel have been talking and I think there's something we should finally tell you.

But Stan was only half listening to what Dipper was saying because the book in Dipper's hands caught his eye. It couldn't possibly be. Could it? Just breathe Stan.

It was only from years of cons that Stan was able to keep a straight face as Dipper handed Stan the journal, explaining its story and how Gideon had been searching for it too. Stan was telling himself not to get his hopes up, that he couldn't possibly have found both missing journals in the same week. But as he thumbed through the pages, he saw his brother's messy scrawl across it. It brought back memories of Stanley's tirades of new and mysterious creatures he came across. When he came across Gideon's journal, he wasn't really surprised. He had long suspected that Gideon had one of the journals. Where else would Gideon learn where to get ancient Egyptian termites or crystals that could grow and shrink objects through the light? But Dipper? Dipper having one of the journals? The thought had never even crossed his mind.

Stan flipped through a few more pages when he finally found it. The blueprints. The final double spread he was missing and only one thought crossed his mind. He had to get down to the basement. But he couldn't rush it. The kids couldn't know his involvement and how weird the town really was. He had to protect them from it. He closed his eyes, gathering himself.

"I'm glad you showed me this, Dipper." And he laughed. In hindsight, he probably laughed too hard, overcompensating a bit too much. "Now I know where you've been getting it all from. Spookums and monsters. This kooky book's filled your head with crazy conspiracies."

"But it's all real," Dipper exclaimed.

Stan laughed again, this time in glee, but still managed to pass it off as gentle ridicule. "You gotta quit reading all this fantasy nonsense for your own good. Although some of these would make great attractions. Can't come up with this stuff. Mind if I borrow it?"

"Wait, no! Grunkle Stan!" Dipper pleaded but Stan was already out the door, on his way to the basement.

"Magic book. Ha. Ridiculous."

Stan could hear Dipper's protests but pushed them away. As soon as he was out of earshot of the twins, his face turned serious but still tried to contain his elation. He couldn't risk anyone's suspicion. He was halfway downstairs before he realized that he couldn't go down to the basement yet. The kids were still up. Soos was still around. And if any of them came looking for him and couldn't find him, they might get suspicious. Not to mention if the portal shook the ground like it did before, it would be better to happen when people were asleep. Yes. Better to play it cool for now. He'd wait until they went to bed. Wait until Soos went home. It had been thirty years. He could wait a few more hours. Instead, he locked himself up in his room, rereading Stanley's notes and familiarizing himself with the coding on the blueprints. He didn't want to waste any time once he got down there.

It was one o'clock in the morning before he dared to make the trek. Just to be safe, he poked his head in on the kids. Sound asleep.

Holding the third journal in his hand, he walked downstairs, thirty years of determination behind every step. The elevator trip down seemed longer than usual but he made it. Pulling out the remaining two journals, he opened them, and placed them together, his hands shaking from both excitement and nerves.

After double checking all the data, and flipping the switches accordingly, a loud hum permeated the area. His heart skipped a beat. It was working. He could barely believe his eyes and ran through the door to get a closer look.

It wasn't a trick of the eyes. It really was working. The pain from the fire on his arm was proof enough of that. He finally achieved it. Everything would be different now. Finally, everything would be put right.


End file.
